‘No Indian has tasted success in Hollywood’

By Hindustan Times

His career has gone global at 51 with plum projects such as Slumdog Millionaire, the AXN thriller 24, and now the fourth installment in the Mission Impossible franchise, but actor Anil Kapoor says despite their rising presence in the West, Indian actors are yet to make it big in Hollywood.

“Nobody has really tasted success there (in Hollywood) yet, while living here (in India). It’s like an ocean there. There are thousands of directors there unlike here. Here, the pool of talent is very limited,” the actor said during a visit to HT House on Wednesday.

His Hollywood journey so far has been humble. “Any celeb with global success (there) is so down to earth and so humble. When you meet them, you feel you are the celebrity. Their thinking is very global, whether in terms of films, content or attitude,” said Kapoor, whose role model is Clint Eastwood.

“In India, people give the impression they know everything. In Hollywood, they have a childlike quality in them to know more about everything they don’t,” he added.

Kapoor, who believes in “reinventing oneself with time”, also revealed that unlike other actors, he kept endorsements at bay before finally diving in. “For 30 years, I’ve never endorsed anything on the lines of legendary actors like Rajkumar, Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan. My kids thought I was a fool and then I saw even Mr Bachchan was endorsing. So why should I stay behind and stay with no money in my account!” he said.

With over 100 films to his credit since 1979 — including hits such as Mr India, Beta, Viraasat, Ram Lakhan, Tezaab, Parinda and No Entry — the actor-producer is still raring to go and has no plans of hanging his boots, just like evergreen actor-filmmaker Dev Anand — “his work keeps him alive, keeps him going”. “There is no age limit for any profession,” Kapoor says.

Kapoor was visiting the Capital as the face of a documentary on the tradition of human trafficking in Bharatpur.